RO Arrested Stealing Car Off Lot After Repossession
RO Arrested Stealing Car Off Lot After Repossession
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Memphis woman was arrested after police say she stole a car that had been repossessed by a local auto dealer.
The manager for Joe Cooper Auto Sales told police that they sold a 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix to Ashinik Johnson in late January. Two weeks later the car was repossessed after she failed to pay a deferred down payment of $300.
The vehicle was taken back to the business for safe keeping, the company said.
Two hours after the car arrived, employees said it vanished from their lot.
According to an affidavit, Johnson admitted to retrieving the vehicle from the business during a subsequent phone interview with police.
Johnson was booked into jail on Wednesday and charged with a felony count of theft of property.
On Thursday, Johnson contacted the WREG newsroom and denied the allegations. Johnson says her arrest was the result of a misunderstanding and that she was trying to retrieve personal items from the vehicle prior to her arrest. She also says the vehicle never left the car lot.
